Tim Sherwood Belittles Louis Van Gaal over Tottenham Job, Slams Jorge Jesus

Tim Sherwood couldn’t resist a subtle jibe at Louis van Gaal ahead of Tottenham’s Europa League clash with Benfica, amid ongoing reports that the Dutchman may steal his job.

Sherwood is currently trying to rescue Spurs’ season by turning around a 3-1 deficit to reach the Europa League quarter-finals against a manager he admits he doesn’t respect in Benfica’s Jorge Jesus.

However, his job is looking increasingly precarious after Spurs slipped further from Champions League contention thanks to Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal. Tottenham have 53 points on 30 matches, which is seven behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have three games in hand. 

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Van Gaal has spoken frequently of his desire to manage in England, even mentioning Tottenham, and Sherwood quipped that the current Holland boss deserves reward for his sales pitch, per James Dobson of the Daily Star: 

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He’s obviously destined to want to manage in England. He’s got a good track record and he’s a good manager.

I’m sure he’ll get his opportunity: he’s been shouting loud enough for it.

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Sherwood’s comments came hours after van Gaal had again gone public with his wish to manage in England. The Daily Star’s Jack Wilson reported van Gaal saying:

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It is my ambition to become coach of one of the big teams once again, in the Premier League. I have never felt the atmosphere there before. I also want to win the championship in four countries. That is my ambition.

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Van Gaal is a smart man. At the age of 62 and having won league titles with four separate clubs, he knows his comments will surface around Europe.

He also knows frequent headlines about his future keep his name relevant and sought-after as attractive jobs like Manchester United and Tottenham threaten to become available in the near future.

For Sherwood, the only answer is to win football matches. His CV cannot compete with van Gaal on any level, and neither can his lure when it comes to Spurs signing top players.

Andre Penner/Associated Press

If chairman Daniel Levy wants a new boss, which is unconfirmed, Sherwood can only change his mind by delivering a Europa League or constructing an unbeaten end to the league campaign.

He got a response from his players in the recent clash with Arsenal, regardless of the eventual defeat. The Mirror’s John Cross tweeted: 

However, the fact is Spurs have lost their last three games in all competitions and five of their last seven. They have scored only five goals during that period, per ESPN FC, and remain a team that lacks direction and purpose.

Van Gaal is known for his passing ethos and has won titles with Barcelona, Ajax, AZ Alkmaar and Bayern Munich. His reputation is among the best in world football.

For Spurs to compete with England’s top clubs, they need such a figurehead to attract top players. Certainly the promise of Europa League football will do little to appeal this summer.

A monumental turnaround in Thursday’s clash at Benfica, where Spurs must score three times, would also make Europe’s stars sit up and take notice.

To do that, Sherwood must get the better of Jesus, the man who angered him by waving three fingers in his direction when Benfica took a 3-1 lead in the first leg. Sherwood would clearly love to get one over on his rival, per Dobson’s article:

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I have got no respect for the man. I have had a lot of e-mails from Benfica fans apologising for their manager’s behaviour.

Yes, I was angry at the time. I’m not going to change my mind. I took it as disrespectful but we move on. It’s over now. Hopefully he uses a bit more common sense this time.

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In truth, there is little to suggest Spurs will pull off the miracle in Portugal. They were comfortably outplayed in the first leg and have a host of injury and suspension concerns surrounding their defence.

Michael Dawson, Kyle Walker, Younes Kaboul, Vlad Chiriches and Jan Vertonghen are all unavailable, leaving the visitors with a patched-up back four.

Sherwood will never give up the fight, neither on the pitch or off it, but with links to van Gaal persisting, the refreshingly honest Brit is likely facing up to one of his final big games as Tottenham manager.